Instant Pot Paneer Butter Masala

Instant Pot Paneer Butter Masala– Firm Cottage Cheese or Tofu in a buttery orange Indian gravy.This dish is vegetarian and can be made Vegan with very easy swaps.It is also called Paneer Makhani.

This recipe has a lot of ingredients but there are a lot of easy swaps and alternatives available which will make this dish doable, even at the times like these.

This is basically the recipe of the “Butter Masala” or the “Makhani Sauce”.You can choose to change paneer to tofu or cooked mushrooms or cauliflower.

If you follow the recipe to the T, you will find an almost resturant quality dish at your table.That said, it is also a recipe that can be highly customised.

What is Paneer

Paneer is basically a type of Indian cheese, also called firm cottage cheese.It can be easily made at home with just Whole Milk and Lime Juice.Infact, homemade paneer is at times way better than commercial paneer.

Good alternatives for paneer is – Firm Tofu which will make this dish vegan too.You can also use the same sauce to make mushroom, corn or any other vegetable too.

How to make Homemade Paneer

To get about 250 gms or 1/2 pound of paneer, Heat 1.5 litres or 1 Gallon of Milk and bring it to boil.

Add 3 tbsp Lime juice or vinegar.Give it a mix and reduce the heat to low.You will see milk curdling.The milk solids will separate from the whey.

Line a strainer with a cloth.Strain the curds and gently squeeze the whey out of it.You have cottage cheese.At this stage, it will be soft.

To make it firm, wrap it in the same cloth used for straining.Place it over a sieve. Place a weight on top of the strained curds and let it stand for 2-3 hours.After 2 -3 hours, you will get firm panner, which you can cut into pieces.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer– Firm Cottage Cheese or Tofu, cut into cubes.

Tomatoes– Fresh tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes

Cashews– 1/4 Cup

Onion– Red, yellow or white

Butter– Omit if you want the curry to be healthier and vegan

Spices

For this recipe, Kashmiri Chillies are important because they give it the orange colour but if you don’t have it, use a tbsp of any mild chilli powder like paprika instead.

Other Spices that give it depth are- Cardamom,Bay leaf and Cinnamon.Try using all the spices but if you don’t have one or two of them, feel free to omit them.

You can also omit all the other spices and use Garam Masala instead.The taste will not be the same BUT it will still be good!

How to make Paneer Butter Masala in Instant Pot

Step 1: Prep

In this step, simply gather all the ingredients.Cut up the tomatoes and onions.